Within the boundaries of the pack the land was awash with scents — new and old — and it spoke volumes of the strength the pack had gained over such a short period. The food caches had not been as full in a long time and the borders were never so protected and patrolled; a fact that only was a positive for the three young pups that spent most their days safe and snug in the heart of the territory. The sun beamed down in bursts through the clouds in a soft glow as the day steadily drifted towards the afternoon and a quiet hush had settled around the river once the early morning activity had finally dissipated with the members dispersing to deal with their duties. Only the heart of the pack, Indru, Corinna and the pups, remained near the dens now that the others had drifted.

The lead pair knew that it with all the recent flurry and changes within the pack it was time to call them all together more formally, a pack was never as strong as when the bonds between the members were strong. With all the new wolves to their ranks the hierarchy was tenuous, it was situations like group rallies that the true social order was constructed and the rightful places of each member found and with such an influx such a situation seemed necessary. Corinna? He turned his fiery eyes towards hers, contentment blossoming in him each time he was near her, relieved that the newly found strength of the pack had benefited her too. Are you ready? Indru asked of his mate softly as he turned to brush his muzzle against hers and rest it against her back, his tongue and teeth grooming her fur with affectionate nibbles. Tension had not been as calm as it could be, as strong as Swift River now was, and it was about time that they helped it to settle, reassuring the pack of their future with a strong bond between the leading pair and the health of the pups.

When she was ready they rose to their feet together, fur intermingling as they shared their scents, and raised their muzzles to sky as their entwining howls beckoned their pack towards them.

He had not been far. A gathering seemed imminent, appropriate, and when his leaders called Marsh came. It was his duty now, more than ever, to prove himself worthy of this family - both to his superiors and to himself. Too much of his life had been spent drifting, if not alone then from group to group, and he didn't want that anymore. To serve Corinna, and then her children, to his death, was the role in life that Marsh desired.

It felt right, a declaration of this dedication, that he was the first to arrive and so promptly. He automatically cast about for sight of the pups, but assumed that they would be within the den; with their mother and father so near, he doubted that they would be permitted much out of their immediate presence. With a huff of greeting, the River's Second lowered himself appropriately for his superiors, approaching each in turn to offer a lick of affection and loyalty before retreating to take his place in what would likely be a sizeable crowd.

when i look at the stars i feel like myself

Oh, to be at a pack's beck and call again. Given how much the family had grown in the last few days alone, Kinis wasn't too surprised to hear Indru and Corinna's duet demanding their presence. It felt natural, a habit easily fallen into, and without complaint Kinis turned on his toes and trotted towards the den. He had met Corinna when he first arrived, and found her very amicable, but it would be nice to see the whole pack together and watch how she and Indru behaved as a leading pair. From what Kinis understood, the pack had just gone through a very rough patch, and Corinna had suffered the worst of it. He wished he could have been closer to the River to be useful, but how could he have known? He had had his own troubles to deal with.

When he arrived, the group was still small. Indru, Corinna, Triell, Marsh - he knew the last by scent mostly. Feeling most obligated to his brother and his mate, Kinis' approached them only, placing his muzzle briefly below their own before retreating to sit beside his brother. Would it be strange to sit amongst such a large number of wolves again?

Clambering out of the den sleepily, Rihael had been roused by the howls of his parents. Of course, he wasn't sure what was going on— whether or not Kisla and Fen were even awake, he wasn't sure, but wasn't about to wait to find out. The sunlight felt warm on his back as he squinted and blinked, the scene coming into focus. Mom and Dad were there; the pup quickly trotted over to them, unsure of what was going on. Whatever it was, it seemed like a big deal. Lots of wolves were here, a fact which gradually excited him as he became more awake: Uncle Triell and Marsh were both there, which wasn't unusual, but the way everyone was seated was a little odd. Also, a wolf he hadn't met before who was sitting next to Uncle Triell...

He had been about to ask Mom and Dad what was going on, but recognized a pattern here, and instead plodded dutifully over to the stranger male, forgoing the usual attack-sniff maneuver for a simpler action: plopping to a seat beside him in the circle, as a loyal member of the pack, just like Marsh, Uncle Triell, and this guy. Through a toothy grin, he turned and introduced himself quietly. "Hi, my name is Rihael, nice to meet you." Kids say the darndest things. This being done, he sat as patiently as he could manage (of course with tail thumping against the ground quickly), waiting obediently for whatever was going on to go on.

In the depths of the Swift River den, Fenru's ears drew forward at the sound of Indru and Corinna's howls. His eyes quickly opened as he felt the cool afternoon air press up against him where Rihael had been only moments before. His muzzle wrinkled and his usual expression of "wherever you're going, I'm going too" put his senses into full throttle. He turned and crawled up the short tunnel then poked his nose out to spot his parents and a gathering of wolves: Marsh, Uncle Triell, and an unfamiliar face with amber eyes and a dark auburn coat.

Certain that his sister would probably wake up in a matter of seconds now that he and Rihael had moved, he rose to his feet and stepped away from the opening of the burrow. He wasn't sure why but the stranger seated next to his brother had him on edge. Who was he? Where did he come from? And, most importantly, why exactly was he here? Fenru suppressed his worry and all the possible sounds of anxiety he could produce down into his chest and crept to his brother's side. He had considered squeezing into the space between Mum and Dad but, like Rihael, realized that this was no ordinary gathering. Everyone was calmly sitting... as if they were waiting for something. Hmm. Following suit he slowly took a seat but, instead of turning his attention to the foreign male his sibling had taken interest in, he attentively turned his gaze to Corinna and Indru.

The howl struck Volkan like a hit to the face. In it she had recognized Indru's voice, combined with what she could only presume what his mate's voice, and immediately recognized that the "pack meeting" he had spoken about was underway. And despite his blessing from their recent meeting, including the fact that he had given her the Swift River scent, she felt her heart pound incessantly in her chest, as though it choked the very breath from her. So, it was going to be like this, huh? She was just going to have to go stag to the meeting, just roll up and waltz in? At least Ruiko could've been here, she cursed inwardly, having left the shade of a tree to begin the dilatory journey to the sound of the howl. Or Indru. Or Triell...

Of course, she knew they would be at the meeting. Not like that was going to be a problem. And since she had the scent on her, it wouldn't be a big deal, right? So— why was she so anxious about this?

She found the location with relative ease, a mass of canine scents having betrayed the location of the Swift River den area. Concealed behind a bush, the colorless female waited silently, watching what looked to be another newcomer to the pack take his place among the ranks. Her pale eyes narrowed, zeroing in on face after face. There was Indru. Good. Her shoulders relaxed, and she realized just how tense she had become in the past few moments. What was she worrying about? Wasn't it just time to grow a pair already and stop being so pathetic?

Decisively, Volkan stepped out of the brush at last, silently parting the leaves with her tall yet slender frame. Her eyes were turned downward, head bent, as she slunk into the meeting. Only when she had reached Indru did she look up, issuing him a gentle lick to the underside of his chin, repeating the gesture that only so recently had tied her to him. With a small smile, she moved to the beautiful green-eyed female she presumed could only be Corinna, and repeated the gesture again.

Volkan assumed that the technicalities of introduction would be postponed for the time being, and so, retreated to the ranks of the others, only now surveying the attendees for the first time. She placed herself— really, really hoping that she had picked an appropriate spot— next to the light-colored female about her age... who, oh hey, she recognized. Quickly she turned her gaze elsewhere: and there sat two male pups, who she supposed were Indru's, and... then there was Triell. She smiled to herself, unsure if he'd noticed her, and took a brief moment to scan the other faces, noting that Ruiko was not yet present, before resolving to wait for the meeting to begin. In one way or another, this was going to be interesting.